Blood and blood products need to be tested after donation or further processing. Rather than testing a blood (or blood products) bag directly a relatively small sample may be held in a sealed tube that is cross-referenced to the actual product bag. Such sealed tubes are referred to as “blood Bag segments”, “tube segments” or “blood segments”. The term “tube segment” will be used in this specification and it is understood to mean a tube that contains a fluid and which is sealed at both ends.
Testing requires removal of some of the fluid in the tube, usually by passing a cannula into one end of the tube and stripping the tube with pliers to push fluid out of the tube. This method has various inconveniences and occupational hazards. Another method is to pass a cannula into one end of the tube segment and apply suction (either by using a syringe or an evacuated tube). Whilst the tubes are relatively flexible, this requires a reduction in volume of the tube or displacement of liquid by environmental fluid (such as air), without which fluid will not be withdrawn from the tube. The present invention aims to provide a device and method which aids withdrawal of fluid from tube segments.